SYDNEY: Thousands of football enthusiasts marched across the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday, commemorating the 25-day countdown to the start of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Despite chilly temperatures, an estimated 4,000 fans enthusiastically participated in the early morning event, which prompted the temporary closure of the bridge to vehicular traffic.
The tournament, featuring 32 teams, will kick off on July 20 with co-hosts Australia and New Zealand playing their opening matches. The Matildas will face Ireland in Sydney, while the Football Ferns will take on Norway in Auckland. With over one million tickets already sold for the 64 games to be held in nine host cities, FIFA, football’s governing body, has surpassed the total ticket sales of the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.
Rhiannon Martin, head of FIFA Women’s World Cup, expressed her belief that this year’s tournament would be a “milestone” for women’s football in Australia. She highlighted the significant development of the sport in the country over the past few years. FIFA has also made strides in recognizing the value of women’s football, with each player at the World Cup set to earn a minimum of $30,000, while the victorious team will take home $270,000 per player.
Martin emphasized that the increased prize money demonstrates the growing appreciation for women’s football. James Johnson, the chief executive of Football Australia, stated that the boost in prize money starts to bridge the gap between the men’s and women’s World Cup earnings. He expressed pride in the progress made, recognizing that more work needs to be done in the coming years.
As the anticipation builds for the Women’s World Cup, football fans across Australia and New Zealand eagerly await the tournament that promises to showcase the talent and passion of women’s football on a global stage.
